Hamas is set to release eight hostages on Thursday.
Although the ceasefire agreement includes a commitment to releasing hostages every week, Hamas will be releasing hostages twice this week.
Steve Witkoff, the envoy overseeing the Middle East under U.S. President Donald Trump, is currently in Israel. On Wednesday, he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu is scheduled to visit the U.S. on February 4 to meet with Trump.
Previously, Trump warned that if Hamas did not release the hostages as agreed, it would face “hellish consequences.”
Due to disagreements between Israel and Hamas over the impact and identification of the hostages, two rounds of hostage releases are expected this week, according to the Associated Press.
Laxmi Bank
According to the AP, Hamas is set to release three Israeli and five Thai hostages on Thursday.
The Israeli hostages include 20-year-old Agam Berger, 20-year-old Arbel Yehud, and 80-year-old Gadi Mos Moses. Agam is an Israeli soldier.
Hamas has provided Israel with the list of hostages to be released through Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
The names of the five Thai hostages have not been disclosed. Previously, Hamas released three women in the first round and four women in the second round.
According to AP, more hostages will be released on Saturday following Thursday’s release. In response, Israel is also preparing to release Palestinian prisoners.
A total of 33 hostages will be freed during the 42-day ceasefire. Nepali citizen Bipin Joshi is also among those held captive by Hamas. Since the first phase of the ceasefire agreement prioritizes the release of Israeli citizens, the likelihood of his release in the initial phase appears low.
